‘Crass and degrading’ Pot Noodle ad asking if a bikini-clad model or noodle snack was hotter is banned by ASA

The ASA has today announced the ban of an ad on the Pot Noodle Facebook page as part of its ‘peel the top off a hottie’ campaign.

While two ads which featured lids of two Pot Noodles along with the words ‘peel the top off a hottie’ were ruled “puerile rather than sexually explicit” by the ASA, an ad showing a female model in a bikini next to a picture of a Pot Noodle with the text "Phwarr is it me or is it getting hot in here? HOT OFF. Which one gets you hotter?" was banned.

The ASA said: “We considered the presentation of the woman in a sexual pose and the blatant comparison with the food product was crass and degrading and therefore likely to cause serious offence to some visitors to Pot Noodle Facebook page.”

Eighteen complainants challenged whether the ads, by Billington Cartmell, were offensive, sexist and degrading to women; while six asked if the ads were irresponsible and harmful because they suggested it was acceptable to try and remove women's clothing without their consent.

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